When planning my speech therapy sessions, I try to think back to my methods of studying for exams in school and university. I would try anything to motivate myself to do the study. I would put on timers for short bursts of study, I would give myself rewards after I had completed a certain amount, and sometimes I would just make myself sit down and do it. 

But amongst all these strategies, there was one ‘strategy’ guaranteed to make me focus and remember what I had actually studied! And that was to genuinely enjoy what I was studying! If I wasn’t genuinely enjoying it, I wasn’t motivated, and I had trouble taking in what I was working on, no matter if I rewarded myself at the end or not. 

As it turns out, this ‘strategy’ is actually very well known, and it comes down to the ‘Principles of Neuroplasticity’. These principles outline what helps us learn best. Intrinsic motivation is one of them. When we are motivated to do a task, purely because we find it really interesting or engaging, that is when we can learn best! 

So, in my therapy sessions, instead of using rewards, or timers or any strategies to try and engage a client in activities, I try and reframe my thinking. How can I make this activity genuinely interesting to my client? How can I embed their interests directly into this activity? If they love Pokémon, plan an activity where the client makes up Pokémon names to practise spelling. If they love sensory activities, use a sensory tub and search for all the pictures, to practise speech sounds. 

It's very well known and well supported by evidence that intrinsic motivation increases a client’s engagement and therefore progress within therapy sessions. So, dedicate that little bit of extra planning time to clients so that you can plan activities that they are genuinely interested in as this will support their engagement, motivation, learning and long-term goals!